Rants and insights by an Indian computer scientist from the early 21st century.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Disaster

I've read a series of disturbing news articles about the status in woman in India.

What is the situation?

The situation is that India's women are being killed in vast numbers. Ultrasound imaging is being used to figure out the sex of an unborn person. Many parents are aborting if the fetus is female.

I'm not pro-life.

But abortion is murder if the reason is gender.

This situation isn't earth-shattering by itself. The really earth-shattering news is that this is happening in mostly educated families. (Despite a government ban).

You see, I am from exactly that educated, middle-class Indian elite. If you look at the numbers, its almost a mathematical certainty that I've unknowingly met and talked and joked with adults who have done this to their daughter.

I've probably shook the hands of some "uncle" or "aunty" who murdered their baby girl. I've probably met their replacement son. I may have played cricket with him.

I've started to think about friends of mine. Friends with two sons. Friends who have only brothers and no sisters. I've started to wonder if their family structure was random or...